Rule 85 of the CGST Rules, 2017

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GST›CGST Rules, 2017›Chapter IX, Payment of Tax

At a glance

Entitlement and conditions

  • Rule 85(3)–(4)Subject to sections 49, 49A and 49B, return liabilities are paid by credit- or cash-ledger debit with corresponding liability-register credit. Tax deducted or collected, reverse charge, composition amounts, interest, penalty, fees and other stated amounts require cash-ledger debit.

Bars, duties and time limits

  • Rule 85(7)A registered person noticing a discrepancy must inform the jurisdictional officer electronically in FORM GST PMT-04.

Procedure, powers and definitions

  • Rule 85(1)–(2)FORM GST PMT-01 receives debits for amounts due under returns, officer determinations, self-ascertainment and accruing interest. It covers each person liable for tax, interest, penalty, late fee or another amount.
  • Rule 85(5)–(6)Appellate, Tribunal or court relief reduces the entered demand. Penalty is reduced to the applicable extent on the specified payment of tax, interest and penalty under the notice or demand, with corresponding register credit.

Rule 85 tracks liabilities in FORM GST PMT-01 and links their discharge to the credit and cash ledgers. Return-based payments remain subject to sections 49, 49A and 49B. Specified amounts require cash-ledger payment. Appellate relief and qualifying penalty reductions produce corresponding credits in the liability register, while a registered person must report discrepancies through FORM GST PMT-04.[1]

Text

The text below is the rule as served by the CBIC tax information portal on 17 September 2026, with the portal's own amendment footnote markers (shown as small numerals before a bracket) and its footnotes.[1] The Rules as published in the Gazette of India is the legal source.

Rule 85, verbatim (show)

Rule 85. Electronic Liability Register.-

(1) The electronic liability register specified under sub-section (7) of section 49 shall be maintained in FORM GST PMT-01 for each person liable to pay tax, interest, penalty, late fee or any other amount on the common portal and all amounts payable by him shall be debited to the said register.

(2) The electronic liability register of the person shall be debited by-

(a) the amount payable towards tax, interest, late fee or any other amount payable as per the return furnished by the said person;

(b) the amount of tax, interest, penalty or any other amount payable as determined by a proper officer in pursuance of any proceedings under the Act or as ascertained by the 1[said person; or]

(c) 2[****]

(d) any amount of interest that may accrue from time to time.

(3) Subject to the provisions of section 49, 3[section 49A and section 49B], payment of every liability by a registered person as per his return shall be made by debiting the electronic credit ledger maintained as per rule 86 or the electronic cash ledger maintained as per rule 87 and the electronic liability register shall be credited accordingly.

(4) The amount deducted under section 51, or the amount collected under section 52, or the amount payable on reverse charge basis, or the amount payable under section 10, any amount payable towards interest, penalty, fee or any other amount under the Act shall be paid by debiting the electronic cash ledger maintained as per rule 87 and the electronic liability register shall be credited accordingly.

(5) Any amount of demand debited in the electronic liability register shall stand reduced to the extent of relief given by the appellate authority or Appellate Tribunal or court and the electronic tax liability register shall be credited accordingly.

(6) The amount of penalty imposed or liable to be imposed shall stand reduced partly or fully, as the case may be, if the taxable person makes the payment of tax, interest and penalty specified in the show cause notice or demand order and the electronic liability register shall be credited accordingly.

(7) A registered person shall, upon noticing any discrepancy in his electronic liability ledger, communicate the same to the officer exercising jurisdiction in the matter, through the common portal in FORM GST PMT-04 .

1. Substituted (w.e.f. 01.10.2022) vide Notification No. 19/2022- CT dated 28.09.2022 for "said person".

2. Omitted (w.e.f. 01.10.2022) vide Notification No. 19/2022 - CT dated 28.09.2022 for "the amount of tax and interest payable as a result of mismatch under section 42 or section 43 or section 50; or"

3 . Inserted (w.e.f. 01.02.2019) vide Notification No. 03/2019-CT dated 29.01.2019.

Questions to answer on the file

Questions a reviewer answers from the engagement file, grouped by the part of the rule they come from. They describe what the rule asks; they do not decide it.

Liability-register maintenance 85(1)

Questions to answer on the file5 questions
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Selected liability-register debit 85(2)

Questions to answer on the file4 questions
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Return-liability payment reconciliation 85(3)

Questions to answer on the file7 questions
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Cash-only specified liability payment 85(4)

Questions to answer on the file5 questions
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Appellate demand relief 85(5)

Questions to answer on the file5 questions
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Penalty reduction after specified payment 85(6)

Questions to answer on the file8 questions
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Liability Ledger discrepancy communication 85(7)

Questions to answer on the file7 questions
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Amendment history

The CBIC text carries 2 footnotes. The table gives each in the source's own terms. Effective dates are as the footnotes state them.[1]

Amendments to Rule 85 as footnoted in the CBIC text
NoteChange
1Substituted (w.e.f. 01.10.2022) vide Notification No. 19/2022- CT dated 28.09.2022 for "said person".[2]
2Omitted (w.e.f. 01.10.2022) vide Notification No. 19/2022 - CT dated 28.09.2022 for "the amount of tax and interest payable as a result of mismatch under section 42 or section 43 or section 50; or"[2]
Provisions connected to Rule 85
ProvisionConnectionWords that tie them
Section 49 of the CGST Act, 2017this provision requires Section 49 of the CGST Act, 201785(1) "sub-section (7) of section 49"
Section 49A of the CGST Act, 2017this provision requires Section 49A of the CGST Act, 201785(3) "section 49A"
Section 49B of the CGST Act, 2017this provision requires Section 49B of the CGST Act, 201785(3) "section 49B"
Section 51 of the CGST Act, 2017this provision requires Section 51 of the CGST Act, 201785(4) "under section 51"
Section 52 of the CGST Act, 2017this provision requires Section 52 of the CGST Act, 201785(4) "under section 52"
Section 10 of the CGST Act, 2017this provision requires Section 10 of the CGST Act, 201785(4) "under section 10"
Rule 86this provision requires Rule 8685(3) "as per rule 86"
Rule 87this provision requires Rule 8785(3) "as per rule 87"

Circulars and notifications

Circulars and notifications in the CBIC repository that cite this rule, newest first, by number, date and subject. A listing here does not say what an instrument decides; read the instrument.

Notifications (4)

NumberDateSubject
Notification No. 19/2022-Central Tax28 September 2022Seeks to make amendments (Second Amendment, 2022) to the CGST Rules, 2017.
Notification No. 03/2019-Central Tax29 January 2019Seeks to amend the CGST Rules, 2017.
Notification No. 60/2018-Central Tax30 October 2018Seeks to make amendments (Thirteenth Amendment, 2018) to the CGST Rules, 2017.
Notification No. 10/2017-Central Tax28 June 2017Seeks to amend CGST Rules notification no 3/2017-Central Tax dt 19.06.2017 amended by a later instrument

Unsettled questions

The words of Rule 85 do not answer this question. Where one decides a matter on the file, the answer depends on the position taken on it.

  1. No additional silent question identified; unresolved evidence remains open and legal classification is reserved to the auditor where specified

See also

References

  1. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs. "Rule 85. Electronic Liability Register". Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, CBIC tax information portal, with amendment footnotes 1 to 2. Retrieved 17 September 2026.
  2. Notification No. 19/2022-Central Tax, dated 28 September 2022: Seeks to make amendments (Second Amendment, 2022) to the CGST Rules, 2017. Cited in CBIC footnotes 1 and 2.

External links